


A Broken Agreement

by Humbleapplecrumble



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV), Peraltiago - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, Forbidden Love, Happy Ending, Not consistent with B99 timeline/plot, Peraltiago, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-07-25 05:34:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16191122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humbleapplecrumble/pseuds/Humbleapplecrumble
Summary: “It had been around a year since the agreement had been made: No matter how much Amy Santiago and Jake Peralta we’re attracted to each other, it was not going to happen.”A short story with angst, fluff and smut in that order. Lighthearted, easy reading :)*note* probably not classed as “explicit” but was undecided between that and mature!*note* hints of Dianetti, ‘cause who doesn’t love those gals right?





	1. The Agreement

It had been around a year since the agreement had been made: No matter how much Amy Santiago and Jake Peralta we’re attracted to each other, it was not going to happen. 

The pair had worked closely together for a few years and knew each other inside out. They were polar opposites, anyone would see that from first glance, but that was why they worked so well; simply put, they made each other better. Jake thought out loud, thoughts bounced around his head like ping pong balls and he covered every possibility, forcing Amy to be more confident and take risks. She kept Jake’s feet on the ground, helped him organise his cases carefully and think logically, and between them they wiped the floor when it came to arrests. 

That’s the way it was; Peralta and Santiago. They drove each other crazy yet somehow they were the perfect partnership. The pair obliviously went about their harmonious detecting ways until Charles put a spanner in the works, as he so often did. 

The Nine-Niners had gathered in the briefing room for the latest dishing out of new cases from Holt. He gave cases to Boyle, Jeffords and Diaz before arriving at the final case. 

“There’s a suspected new drug being brought into the city, we’ve had intel. The drop is suspected to take place at a closed down Italian restaurant this evening, so Peralta, Santiago, I want you down there. Give yourselves plenty of time. Dismissed.”

“Yes! Jake and Amy on another case together. That’s the dream,” Charles cheered.   
The pair of detectives turned in their chairs to look across at him and Jake furrowed his eyebrows in his direction. “You’re gross, Charles.”  
Amy cocked her head in confusion. “What are you even talking about?”  
Charles folded his arms. “I’m talking about the fact that you two are so obviously into each other, and I’m digging it! I’m all aboard the Jake and Amy train.” He unfolded his arms and gestured a whistle with his right hand, “Toot toot!”  
Jake and Amy shook their heads and marched back to their desks, their attentions back to their computers. “You’re psychotic, Boyle,” Jake mumbled back to him, before glancing at his partner over the computer. Amy met his eyes for a second, shrugging her shoulders, and looked back down at her keyboard. 

Those who heard Boyle’s revelation contemplated it over the rest of the afternoon. 

Terry was confident it made sense; they did everything together, but he worried it might shift the professionalism he tried hard to maintain. He was also sure, however, that neither Peralta or Santiago had realised their feelings until Boyle had put the cards on the table. Although Terry loved love, things had ran pretty smoothly lately and he wasn’t eager for that to change. 

Rosa didn’t care all that much, she just wished they’d stop tiptoeing around and hit each other up already. She knew Jake well enough to know that the only way he knew how to flirt was through making fun of people, and he did that with Amy all damn day long. She also knew Amy enough to know that Jake was good for her and although her friend would likely be more concerned about the work complications, they would actually be worth a shot. But this pretending it wasn’t true was stupid - she’d given her usual advice to just “bone down.”

Jake and Amy avoided thinking about it. It was a stupid, throwaway comment from Charles and it didn’t matter. Neither were huge fans of talking about feelings, they were both terrible at it and it was often better left unspoken. Instead, they carried on with their day as normally as they possibly could: filing paperwork, solving puzzles, kicking ass. Kind of. 

*

Later that night, detectives Peralta and Santiago waited in a squad car on the corner of a dark street in hopes of spotting their latest drug dealers. They’d been there around an hour and had already gone through their stakeout snacks, consisting of mini donuts and sour candies. 

They hadn’t spoken all that much. Jake had been toying with the decision of whether to say something about their awkward day or not but couldn’t take it any longer. There wasn’t much that he didn’t tell Amy, and this of all things couldn’t be an exception. In addition, he genuinely wanted an answer. This wasn’t a case he could solve alone. 

“Hey, can I ask you a question?”  
Amy continued to look through the binoculars. “Sure, what’s up?”  
Jake took a breath before speaking. He hated emotional talk, but this one had played on his mind all day. “Is Charles right?”  
At that, she dropped her binoculars to her lap but continued to look out of the window, concentrating on the raindrops slowly cascading down the screen. “Uh... What do you mean?”  
Jake let out a half laugh full of nerves; he had a feeling he’d have to be the bold one in this conversation. “Ames, come on. What Charles said, do you think he’s right? Do we... you know, actually....”

Admitting defeat and owning up to the responsibility of this conversation, Amy turned slightly in her seat and laid her head back on the headrest to look at her partner’s eyes, giving a small anxious smile as she did so. She knew he was being brave to bring this up, he’d need help to carry it on. “Okay, Yeah. I think he’s, probably... right.”  
Jake gave an overexaggerated gleeful smile. “Santiago, you should have told me you were in love with me! I knew you couldn’t resist my handsome physique.”   
Amy grinned, sitting up to punch him in the arm. “Shut up you idiot! Anyway, you like me!”  
Jake chuckled, “You definitely like me more, though.”  
Amy relaxed her head back again, putting her sensible head back on. “It’s not that simple though, is it?” she said more seriously.   
Jake’s smile dropped a little, although he knew he agreed with his partner. “No, it’s not. We can’t do anything about this. We work together.”  
“And we have more arrests on our joint cases than anyone else at the Nine-Nine. We work best the way we are now, don’t we?”  
Jake’s smirk reappeared, he loved the topic of how great at being detectives they were. Perking up, he replied, “Yeah you’re totally right, we can’t do anything to ruin that. Shall we make a pact? The job comes first. Toit.”  
Amy offered her hand to seal the deal. “Job comes first.”  
Jake shook her hand gladly, feeling a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Now they could go on being the most awesome detectives on the planet with absolutely zero complications. Smort.


	2. The Near Misses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of course there had been a number of close calls; they had both slipped up. Most were simple incidents that were quickly forgotten, but others had both detectives incredibly tempted to break the rules.

Of course there had been a number of close calls; they had both slipped up. Most were simple incidents that were quickly forgotten, but others had both detectives incredibly tempted to break the rules. As time went on, it only became more difficult to be headstrong. 

*

The first came a couple of months after the agreement to leave their feelings locked up. Peralta dropped the ball and arrested a perp without even remotely having sufficient evidence, and Amy had been dragged into work just before leaving for a date. 

Throughout the shift, Jake couldn’t stop staring at her. He had always thought she was attractive in her usual work clothes, but that day, she was incredible. Her hair was full and curled and her hot pink dress clung to her body in the most flattering way; he couldn’t take his eyes off her. It’d been the first time he’d seen Santiago seriously dressed up like that. 

When he’d finally cracked the case they’d eventually escaped the precinct and started to walk to their cars. Jake and Amy left together and stood by his mustang, more exhausted than ever after 48 hours straight on the job. Their clothes were crumpled and Amy was covered in pie from Rosa and Gina’s debate; it was not the most glamorous they had ever felt at work. 

Jake couldn’t help but notice she still looked beautiful. 

As they talked, Amy rubbed her head in tiredness. Jake was insisting she leave and go out on her date, but the truth was she’d already cancelled it. She didn’t like Luke that much; he was more of a way to kill some time, a distraction. She’d had a lot of fun putting Jake down for forcing them all to work and they’d even reached a new step to their friendship since he’d now seen her in her backup glasses. Now she was quite happy to go home. 

“Come on Santiago, I feel bad. Please rearrange your date!” Jake pleaded.   
Amy smiled. “I don’t know, maybe. He seems a little... dull,” she admitted.   
“That’s not fair, you’re just used to having so much fun with me. You can’t compare us!”   
The exhaustion had affected Amy’s filter; here came the mistake. “Yeah you’re right. There’s nobody like you,” she replied softly. 

At that, the detectives fell silent. For months they had avoided all romantic topics and anything that suggested they should be together, until now. They looked at each other and then at the ground, and then regained eye contact once more. At that moment, they each felt that they were stood far too close together. 

Amy broke the silence. “Anyway, I better, uh, goodnight.”  
“Yeah, sure, noice. Night... Ames,” Jake mumbled as he watched her spin on her heel and storm towards her car. 

Amy slammed the door shut and began driving immediately. She could still see the image of Jake’s brown eyes glinting in the dingy car park lighting at the forefront of her mind. 

As she laid in her bed amongst the many pillows, her heart and head battled it out in a fierce argument. 

She meant what she said; there’s no one like Jake. No one. Amy knew Jake better than she knew anyone else and he knew her too. But of course they did, they’d worked together for years. But she’d also worked with Charles and Terry and an array of other men for years and didn’t have the same connection with any of them. But they worked together and it’d be unethical. But Jake was funny and interesting and unique in a way that no one else ever was. But she needed to concentrate on her career; if she was ever to make captain one day, this was not the way to go. But the unmistakable truth was that Jake Peralta was the purest soul she had ever known. But if they did get together, they might break up, and that would be the absolute worst thing that could happen. 

But, but, but. 

As her head got the last word, Amy fell into a deep sleep. 

*

A month later, the pair were infiltrating a community centre alongside Captain Holt. To Jake’s delight and to Amy’s devastation, they’d had to dress up as dancers and enter the competition to find a way to the offices where the incriminating evidence would be hiding. 

Amy was anxious about people watching her attempted entry in the competition, Jake was ecstatic at the opportunity to go undercover, and so neither seriously considered the fact they’d actually have to dance together. 

Jake confidently took her hand, masking his insecurities like he had done so many times before. Amy wasn’t quite so talented at hiding her nerves and couldn’t help but notice how much bigger Jake’s hands were than hers; his fingers curled round hers tightly in a way that was both terrifying and comforting at the same time. With his other arm on her waist, they stood closer to each other than they had in a long time. 

By unfortunate earlier life choices but also by helpful coincidence, Jake knew how to dance enough to get by. Amy clung to him tightly and tripped over her feet repeatedly, clearly out of her comfort zone. Thankfully, improvisation was where Jake could shine, so he continued coolly and held her up as best he could. 

“I’m so sorry, I am terrible at this!” Amy squealed, her eyes wide with apology.   
Jake laughed at his partner’s pain. “Hey, does this mean you’re admitting I’m better than you at something?” he smirked.   
“In this area, yes, you are definitely more talented than I am,” Amy happily admitted.   
The pair danced for another 30 seconds before Jake stopped her. “Do you want me to actually show you how to do this? You know, so you don’t harm yourself and possibly others,” he advised.   
Amy nodded gratefully. “Yes, I think that’d be a wise use of our time.”

Jake slowly began to step again and Amy followed his lead; before they knew it they made simple movements in sync with the music and Amy felt herself relax. She looked back at her partner as he watched her proudly. 

With those damn eyes. With that beautiful smile. 

Jake knew he was staring. Wanting somewhere else to look, he mistakenly glanced at her lips for a millisecond before panicking and looking at the room around them in every other direction. Anywhere but at her. The distraction of teaching her to dance had worn off; now they were just two people who were definitely attracted to each other and had to hold each other incredibly closely without doing anything about it. Son of a bitch. 

Amy tried to ignore the fact that the awkwardness of the situation had evidently caught up with Peralta. He was supposed to be the calm, collected one and without that they were definitely screwed. His fingers burnt into her hip like irons; she hated that she now knew what it felt like to have them there. 

Like a blessing sent from above, Holt gave them the signal that he’d found a back door that would hopefully lead to the evidence. The pair quickly dropped hands, causally making their exit from the dance floor. 

Successfully in and out of the office, the trio made the trip back home. Holt drove and Jake gladly took the back seat. He listened to the way Amy’s voice sounded as she and the captain discussed the origin of Holt’s dancing abilities, staring holes into the back of her neck. She spoke so sincerely, so fascinated by the things around her, so focussed on everything in her life. 

He knew that their differences were the thing that made them work so well. As friends, as colleagues, as whatever else they wanted to call it - they just made each other better. It was that simple. All it did was make this so much harder. 

He wasn’t just attracted to Amy; he was falling for her. 

*

A long eight months after the initial agreement, detectives Peralta and Santiago found themselves on a road trip to pick up a criminal and would have to stay in a B&B. They’d enjoyed the journey; being paid to drive a few hours across the country and stay in a fancy hotel was one of the better assignments they’d ever had. They listened to a bunch of CDs recommended by Charles and ate their way through a box of mini muffins, making the most of how laidback they could be for being at work. 

They’d arrived late so after a drink at the hotel bar they decided to call it a night; they had to get up early and head straight to the police station in order to get back in time.   
“We better turn in. This was nice though, I feel like we haven’t hung out without being at the precinct in forever,” Jake said cheerily.   
Amy smiled. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s like we live there sometimes.”  
“Yeah, Holt is our landlord and Charles is our weird neighbour,” Jake laughed.   
Amy giggled. He was right, it was nice to enjoy his company with no pressure. 

As the pair of detectives entered the elevator, a large family joined them. Squashing alongside the numerous bodies, Amy’s hand accidentally brushed Jake’s and she whipped it back immediately. She looked up at her partner with apologetic eyes but he simply shrugged in response. 

They meandered down the corridor and found their rooms, located opposite one another. They paused before entering.   
“So, uh, see you bright and early?” Amy voiced.   
“Yeah, noice, see you then. Night,”  
“Night.”

After cleaning up, Amy laid in her bed wide awake. Their agreement had been made so long ago yet she still didn’t feel any better. The point was they couldn’t be together because it’d make things weird so she could only question the whole point if things were going to be weird anyway. 

She sat up suddenly. If eight months on she still wanted Peralta, she felt it was only sensible to go for it. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what this feeling was, but she sure as hell knew this wasn’t just a stupid crush anymore. She pulled on a hoodie hurriedly over her pyjamas and stormed across the hall, raising her hand to knock on the door. 

She stopped. She stood. 

She couldn’t do it. 

As quickly as she left, Amy returned back to bed feeling foolish. She wasn’t even sure if Jake still liked her like that; he’d seemed pretty unaffected when she’d accidentally touched his hand earlier. She pulled the blanket over her head and begged for sleep to engulf her. 

Jake sat on his bed with his knees up, still in his clothes. He stared at the door, begging she would come through it. Twice, three times, four times he walked towards his door to take matters into his own hands, then sheepishly circled back to his bed.

He was desperate to knock on her door, to tell her he didn’t care about their agreement, that it didn’t matter anymore. But he knew Amy Santiago well enough to know she was a stickler for the rules and he wasn’t strong enough to take rejection. Not from her. 

Without knowing it, each of the detectives lay awake only metres away, both wishing they were much, much closer. Pleading their hearts to take control of their heads, pining to admit their feelings, craving the other’s touch. Playing out imaginary scenarios of what might happen if they just went for it. 

Love shouldn’t have to be this unfair; but it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love to each and every one of you for reading my babbles! :) x


	3. A little indulgence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake’s head leaned against hers and in that moment he felt so much love for his partner. They didn’t have everything worked out, but at the minute, who the hell cared?

A year down the line Peralta and Santiago had arrived at a pattern at work; being head over heels for the person you work with had just become part of their day, part of their lives. It didn’t give them any nasty surprises anymore, they had come to live with it. It was difficult, sure, but they made it work. Just about. 

The Nine Niners were all in need of a break so Charles offered his beach house for the weekend. They accepted gratefully and arrived that very Friday evening, immediately feeling the tension slip away as they entered the building. 

After unpacking Rosa and Gina decided to go out to a bar while Charles, Terry and Holt turned in for the night, still feeling exhausted after their day at the precinct. Jake and Amy stayed in the living room by the cracking fire, sunk into the couch, sharing a bottle of whiskey while swapping stories about their school lives and first years in the police department. 

“It feels good to relax like this,” Amy admitted. “I never let myself let my hair down when we’re at work, it gets a little stressful.”  
“I hadn’t noticed,” Jake chuckled sarcastically.   
Amy threw a cushion at him and laughed back. “Oh it’s easy for you, you’re not capable of stress!”  
“Hey, that’s not true, I just don’t act crazy like you, that’s all. I still get stressed out,” Jake replied honestly.   
“You do? I can’t believe I never knew that about you,” she pondered, leaning her elbow on the back of the couch to face Jake, propping her head up with her hand. “I wish I could be as laid back as you are.”

“Amy, you should give yourself a break. You’re an amazing detective - it’s me who needs to be more like you,” Jake voiced. After the many incidents over the last year, he’d had enough of tiptoeing around his partner. Apart from anything else she was his best friend and he wanted only to be honest with her.   
Amy gushed. “Jake, stop being so weird and nice and just make fun of me like you usually do!” she started, smirking at him. 

Jake kept a serious tone. “I mean it. I know you always think you need to prove yourself, but you don’t. You’re awesome and you’re smart and you’re badass, you don’t need to worry about a thing.” He looked into her eyes, raising his eyebrows in question. “Ok?”  
She grinned back and gave a little nod. She forgot how well he knew her sometimes. “Ok.”  
Jake placed his empty glass on the table and held out his arms wide, finally breaking into his signature smile. “Hug?”  
Amy smiled back and shuffled closer to him on the couch, grateful for the hug, almost lying across his body, wrapping an arm across his chest. Jake hugged her tightly, his arms encircled around her.   
Amy felt her entire body relax. “Thank you.”

Jake’s head leaned against hers and in that moment he felt so much love for his partner. They didn’t have everything worked out, but at the minute, who the hell cared? It didn’t matter that he wanted more, she would always be the best person he knew. He was just happy to be in her life and she needed to know it. 

Almost as naturally as if he’d done it a million times before, he lifted his head slightly and pressed his lips against her forehead, resting them there after a soft kiss. He breathed in the kiwi scent from her hair and closed his eyes. If he couldn’t be any more, he was happy to be her friend. 

Amy shut her eyes and savoured the way it felt to be this close to Jake Peralta. It was strangely familiar, comfortable, safe. Everything she knew it would be. 

She adored it. 

Lifting her head back slightly, she looked up to catch his gaze. He looked back at her earnestly, his arms still encasing her. 

In his eyes she saw everything she’d wanted for the last year and more. He looked at her like she was the only thing in this world and she wanted to feel it forever. 

Leaning forward, her lips found his and she kissed him gently, Jake’s arms tightening around her slightly as she did so. She lingered for a moment, before looking back at him. His expression was unchanged; pure. 

“I... I’m sor-“  
“Don’t be,” he interrupted sincerely. 

A small smile formed on each of the detectives lips but neither moved. Amy rested her head on his chest once again and the pair felt themselves drifting to sleep within minutes, entirely content. They were entirely breaking the unwritten rules but neither even considered it. They’d fought long enough, it was time to indulge. Before they knew it, Peralta and Santiago fell fast asleep. 

Charles awoke suddenly with a coughing fit; his allergies were playing up in this unusual setting. He left his room as quietly as he could to creep through the house to the kitchen when he stopped in his tracks at the sight of his friend on the couch. 

He stood deadly still, heart flourishing in the sight of Jake and Amy curled up together, fast asleep on the sofa. He couldn’t remember a time he’d seen either of them so peaceful. Charles beamed; he knew they were meant for one another. He felt the desperate need to squeal with happiness but he’d be devastated if he woke them. Jake had always brushed his feelings for Amy off, but Charles felt love stronger than anything else and he knew what he saw was true. They were soulmates. Maybe this time they had finally realised it. 

As silently as he possibly could, he grabbed a glass of water and sneaked back to his room, allowing himself one last look at his friends. Amy had tucked herself into the nape of his neck and Jake’s arms were entwined around her like he would never let go. He prayed they’d see sense and not see this as a one-off in the morning. 

Before he fell back to sleep he promised himself he’d play it cool for the sake of his friend the next morning. He’d never share what he’d seen, but could not break the smile from his face. 

Jake and Amy. He god-damn-knew it. 

Early in the morning, Jake stirred with the stiffness of not moving all night long. Not that he wanted to move now - not when he could still feel Amy in his arms. He allowed himself one more minute of feeling her weight against his body, her steady breathing against his beating chest. He wished it had only been them at the beach house. 

Slipping from underneath her, he pulled the throw from the back of the couch and tucked it around her. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake. He tiptoed out of the living room and into the kitchen to make some coffee. He wasn’t usually up this early but he knew the others wouldn’t be long. 

He returned to the couch and set a mug down for Amy, where he found her rubbing her eyes.   
“Morning,” he whispered, grinning without meaning to.   
She pushed herself to sit up a little more and returned his smile. “Morning. Did you make coffee?” He passed it over to her and she cradled it on her lap. “Thanks. Did you sleep ok?”  
“I think ‘ok’ would be an understatement,” Jake replied earnestly.   
Amy laughed. “Yeah, me too.”

Charles padded into the room still in his robe. “Morning guys, how’re you doing?”   
The detectives could have flinched, could have panicked at what he might think was going on, but instead they both chose to relax for once in their lives. “Morning Charles,” they chimed.   
Jake pulled himself up. “I’ve just made you a coffee, bud, it’s on the counter.”  
“Oh great, thanks Jakey,” he said cheerily before holding up his hands in protest. “Hey, don’t worry, sit back down. I’ll fix us some breakfast.” He made himself scarce and started to bang around the kitchen. 

Jake knew his friend well enough to know he was giving him an excuse to spend more time with Amy. Instead of objecting as he usually would, he made the most of it. He sunk into the couch again, not quite as close to his partner as he would have liked, and turned on the TV. He allowed one more look at Amy who was already smiling back at him. 

He told himself to relax. All that had happened was that he had the best night of his life simply by falling asleep with the girl he loved most in the world. 

No biggie.


	4. Agreement Revised

That day the squad rallied and decided it was time for a cop movie marathon, starting with Die Hard at Jake’s persistent begging. They all squashed themselves into the sofas and chairs they’d pulled into the living room, drew the curtains and sipped on the cocoa and marshmallows Charles had conjured up for everyone. Gina, Rosa, Amy and Jake squashed themselves on a sofa that was surely only designed for two while Scully and Hitchcock sat on another, Charles took a seat on the floor and made himself a seat of pillows, leaving Holt and Terry a seat each to themselves. They dragged in throws and duvets to drown themselves in and turned off the lights. They had all the elements of looking like a cheesey Christmas advert and Boyle’s heart melted at the sight of it. 

Around movie number three - Lethal Weapon - the detectives began dropping off due to tiredness or late-arriving hangovers in Rosa and Gina’s case. Terry was the last man standing and decided to clear away the sticky mugs - Terry hated unwashed crockery. It was then that he noticed the coziness between the Nine-Niners on the biggest couch; Rosa was entirely big spooning Gina while Jake’s head rested on Amy’s shoulder, all four of them fast asleep.

What he didn’t see was Jake’s fingers entwined with Amy’s under the throw, as they also had been through films one and two.

It was still enough to tingle his detective senses. They all spent too much time together to be able to hide the way they felt. Jake and Amy were no secret, and he was starting to suspect Rosa and Gina may also have something to hide. He still couldn’t help but smile; it was nice being here, away from the precinct, where everyone truly could be themselves without worrying about being professional. He didn’t care who ended up together. Love was always love. 

As day turned into night once again, the squad continued to lounge around, swapping spirits and telling jokes. Charles make sure he sat on the end of the couch so Jake could sit next to Amy (something he’d done many times before, so it hadn’t been obvious he was up to something). To his disappointment, Gina had persuaded the girls to venture to the hot tub so his plan had failed (again, like many times before).

Hitchcock and Scully were taking part in their fourth nap of the day, and Holt and Terry were working on the captains laptop looking at crime stats, filling their egos by comparing the Nine-Nine to other precincts. Charles sat with Jake, raking through the CDs belonging to his ex wife to find something appropriate to fill in the background stillness. 

Charles couldn’t hold off any longer. He kept his voice low. “Jake, are you going to wake the hell up and do something about this?”  
Jake looked startled. “What? I’ve already told you, I’ll go to the Dianne Weist film festival with you.”  
Placing the CDs down, he widened his eyes at his friend. “You need to talk to Amy and you need to do it now. This weekend, while we’re away from work,” he pleaded.  
“Charles, not this again,” Jake moaned.  
Charles raised a hand with objection. “It’s not the time, Jakey. Promise me you’ll talk to her.”  
Jake sighed. He could hold off his friend no longer and he wasn’t enjoying lying to him. “Ok,” he mumbled. “Fine. I’m sorry, you’re right. I’ll talk to her.”  
Charles softly and comfortingly punched Jake in the shoulder. “That’s my man!” He got up and started walking to the kitchen. “Drink?”  
Jake nodded. “Yeah, big one.” He knew his friend was right but he didn’t like being defeated, and confrontation was scary. 

Especially when that person is your partner, best friend and love of your life. 

Charles had played an array of 80s classics and the squad spent their night drinking and dancing, laughing more than they had in a long time. They agreed they wouldn’t let this long pass again before getting together away from work. 

Jake and Amy tidied up their friends empty glasses as each one of them had turned in one by one and picked up the mess they had accumulated over the day of eating, drinking and not much else. 

Before long it was just the two of them and they’d slowly ran out of things to talk about. They’d found themselves standing by the window at the back of the living room, overlooking the ocean. Jake gulped. It was time. 

“Can I ask you something?”  
Amy laughed. “I’ve heard you say that before. Should I be worried?”  
Jake smiled. “No. Well, I dunno.”  
Amy’s expression became more serious. “Is everything okay?”  
Taking a deep breath, Jake began to speak softly from his heart. “What are we doing?”  
A look of concern made its way to Amy’s face and she let out a small sigh. “I don’t know.” She knew this conversation was inevitable.

Silence filled the room as the detectives looked at each other with love, hesitation, concern, adoration, and an array of other emotions that shouldn’t be mixed. 

Amy decided to be brave. “I love us, Jake. I love working with you, I love being your friend, I love...” she trailed off but gestured her hands. “This.”  
Jake’s eyes softened as he looked at her with all the love in the world and it felt like a knife in her heart when she knew what she had to say next.  
“And that’s why this is so hard. I love you too much to lose you.”

Jake’s eyes met the floor for a few seconds before he conjured a response, looking back at her with that same, adoring expression on his face. “I know. I love us too, and I can’t lose you either. I could never.”

Amy felt her eyes watering and blinked hard to shrug it off. She couldn’t take him looking at her like that. 

Jake put his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, this doesn’t have to be a sad thing. If you think about it, it’s actually super nice.”  
Amy pondered the thought and felt her smile return. “Yeah, you’re right,” she shrugged, stepping towards Jake with wide arms to give him a tight, friendly hug. 

It was very quickly a-not-so friendly hug.


	5. Agreement Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had no idea how they’d found themselves in this position, but both knew that their bodies were being drawn to each other like magnets and this was everything they wanted in that moment, their conversation long forgotten.

Both detectives held on for a second too long, and one second too long soon became two, three, four. 

Each understanding the gravity of the situation slowly started to lean away from the other but the heat between them only intensified. Their faces soon became side by side, Amy’s arms finding Jake’s shoulders through no fault of her own and his hands finding her waist. The pair moved so slowly it was hardly noticable but their breathing became heavier, hearts clashing out of their chests in sync. Amy pulled back the final stretch until she found herself looking straight at her partner’s lips, her hands on the back of his neck, their noses in contact. Jake tightened his grip on his colleagues waist, constantly changing his decision on what to do next every millisecond. He could feel her breath meeting his, lips millimetres apart, their breathing equally unsteady. 

They had no idea how they’d found themselves in this position, but both knew that their bodies were being drawn to each other like magnets and this was everything they wanted in that moment, their conversation long forgotten. 

Until the door sounded and Gina’s voice boomed through the door. 

“Hey losers, are you guys still up? My stupid phone charger isn’t working and I’ve already used my backup portable charger, have you got one?” 

The detectives jumped off one another as if they’d been dipped in cold water and span round to face Gina. Thankfully, they’d made it just in time. 

Jake fumbled for words, desperately trying to sound calm. “Uh, yeah, take mine Gina, it’s plugged in by the dresser.”  
“Thanks, girl!” Gina cheered, oblivious to what she’d walked in on. 

She left as quickly as she’d entered but with her took the atmosphere from the room. Jake and Amy stood, now much further apart, but their pulses unchanged. 

Jake blinked hard, as if trying to wake up from a dream. “So... good talk... we should... call it a night, huh?” he scrambled.   
Amy straightened her top and folded her arms. “Yeah, you’re right, it’s late. Let’s go to bed-I mean you know you go to your bed and I’ll go to my bed, because, we’re colleagues and friends and we make sensible decisions!” Amy knew she’d lost her cool but after that she could hardly care. 

The pair walked awkwardly down the hall, one behind the other. As they arrived at Jake’s door, he turned to look back at her. “So... goodnight, I guess?”   
Amy bit her lip before responding. “Yeah, goodnight.”  
Jake stayed rooted to the spot, looking once more at his partner’s lips. 

Amy swallowed and risked another word. “Actually...”

He made the decision there and then. “Fuck this,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around his partner once again and crashing his lips against hers. 

Amy fell into him as he took her weight and wrapped her arms around his neck, her feet almost leaving the floor. Their lips repeatedly left and met each other again in urgency as they craved the pressure of the other’s body against theirs. Jake twirled Amy round to guide her into his room and she pulled a hand away from his back to push the door closed. 

The second they’d reached privacy Amy pulled at his tshirt until it rose above his waist and pushed it over his chest, Jake following silent orders and pulling it over his head. He in turn found the hem of her top and ran his palms over her skin for a second before encouraging her to do the same. Amy swiftly unhinged her bra and dropped it over her shoulders, kissing him hard, already missing the taste of his lips on hers after the short seconds of separation. 

They each tingled with electricity from head to toe as they felt their bodies pressed together for the first time, skin on skin. Jake slowly ran his hands over Amy’s back as if memorising every inch of her before fiddling with the button on her jeans. He pushed her over the edge of the bed and gently gave away her weight, allowing her to wriggle out of them. 

She tugged on Jake’s arm, silently begging for him to come back, to lean his body against hers. In the mean time Jake had escaped his own jeans and gladly took instruction, climbing slowly over his partner, his lips finding hers. Amy ran a hand through his hair while he slipped an arm underneath the arch of her back, pulling her closer so she could feel how ready he was for her. Amy let out a quiet, unsteady moan at his hesitation. “Jake,” she whispered in confirmation. She knew even though she was clearly into this, he wanted some direction, some acceptance, from her. She adored him for it. He kissed her neck and collarbone with his tongue as he slid carefully into her, biting her gently to stifle a moan. 

Amy felt her body untense underneath her. She’d craved everything that she was feeling in this moment for so long and even now couldn’t believe it was happening. Jake pressed his forehead against hers, lowering himself to hold his weight on his elbows, even now wanting more physical contact. Amy tilted her head to kiss him again and ran her hands over his body, settling them at his hips as he slowly made love to her. She pressed her nails into his skin in ecstasy, finding it more and more difficult to keep her vocal enjoyment in. 

Jake felt as though he was having an out of body experience, here with Amy Santiago. This couldn’t be happening but he was so grateful that it was. He loved her and he wanted to be this close to her forever. He took in every part of her body, running his hands over her perfectly smooth skin and kissing her at every chance he found. Hearing her gasps of pleasure made his heart jump out of his chest. If he had the power to keep them in that moment for eternity, he’d do it in an instant. 

He’d had sex plenty of times before, but he’d sure as hell never experienced this. 

*

Amy had snook out of Jake’s room that morning at around 5am, despite his protesting.   
“Don’t go, Ames!” he complained as they sat up.   
“I have to,” she insisted, turning in the bed to face him. “We do not need to be caught in bed together by Boyle.”  
Jake laughed out loud, then clamped a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound when Amy raised a finger to her lips to remind him they needed to be as quiet as possible. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I think his head would actually explode!”  
Amy chuckled and shuffled across the bed to take his hands in hers. “I can’t believe we have to have this conversation again, but... what do we do now?”   
Jake’s expression was unphased as he leaned over and kissed her softly. “I don’t know about you, but I’m done tiptoeing around this thing. Aren’t you?”  
Amy smiled in relief. “Yes. Yes, yes I am.” She stared into her partner’s eyes and felt like she could swim in the dark shades of brown staring back at her. “I wish we’d come to this conclusion a year ago.”  
Jake ran his thumbs up and down her hands as he held them. “Me too. But we’re here now,” he whispered with a smile.   
Amy beamed back at him. “Do you realise we’ve had numerous serious conversations this weekend and you’ve managed to do it without making a joke?”  
“Managed to do it without making a joke name of your sex tape!!!”  
Amy punched him jokingly. “Ok, now I seriously have to go. Do you think we have to tell the guys tomorrow when we’re back at work? I don’t think I could keep sneaking around like this!”  
Jake thought for a second and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds sensible.”  
“That sounds sensible title of your sex tape!” Amy exclaimed proudly.   
Jake dramatically fell backwards onto the bed in a faint. “That hurts, Ames.”  
She ran a hand along his arm and leaned over to kiss his cheek before climbing out of the bed. Jake propped himself up and watched his partner gleefully, taking in the capacity of what had happened over the last few hours. The game had changed. 

The Nine-Nine each allowed themselves a lie-in, with the exception of Holt, and after scraping together some breakfast with what was left in the fridge began packing Terry’s minivan back up with their belongings. 

Jake and Amy each felt much more relaxed than they were expecting to. Months upon months of hiding feelings and pretending they were fine around each other had evaporated; now they were truly comfortable around each other. 

As they drove, Charles nudged Jake and raised his eyebrows. “So... did you...”  
Jake lowered his voice as best he could, cutting him off before he could get too carried away. “Yeah, I talked to her. I’ll tell you tomorrow, ok bud?”  
A smile emerged on Boyle’s face from ear to ear. He nodded erratically in approval. Jake smiled back at his friend. As much as Charles drove him crazy sometimes, he did know him incredibly well and really he probably had him to thank for all of this. Feelings weren’t Jake’s jam, but they sure as hell were Boyle’s. 

*

The morning had come round far too quickly and the transition from coworkers-to-couple had been little to none for Peralta and Santiago. They’d been practising it all year long. 

As they stood together in the elevator on the way to starting a new day, they each tried hard to surpress childish smiles but failed. Jake looked over at her.   
“So, we’re telling them today, right?”  
Amy nodded. “Yeah. We’ve beaten around this bush for long enough,” she laughed. “I’ve no idea how we go about it, though. It’s so awkward to talk about.”  
Jake mumbled in response before knowing what to do. “Hey,” he whispered, nudging her with his elbow.   
Amy looked to see his hand outspread in question. She took it gladly, interlocking her fingers with his. Smiling at each other once more like giddy children on Christmas morning, they took deep breaths in preparation for the elevator’s arrival-ding. 

As the doors opened, the room was filled with a loud, feminine, high pitched screech. They could only assume it was the sound of Boyle’s approval.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Using a mixture of watching and writing B99 as a de-stressing tool (find it more therapeutic than a journal) so it just means so much when you leave your kudossy love. 
> 
> ‘Til next time! x

**Author's Note:**

> Each time I get an email telling me you guys have read this my life lights up that little more. Thank you! :)


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